A Phantom Melody
by Reading Redhead
Summary: We all know the effect that PotO can have on people. But when Ashley, a mild phan, gets caught in the middle of her high school's production of the musical, even she is unprepared for the drama that ensues. DISCONTINUED, will not be completed.
1. The Stage Is Set

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine. _The Phantom of the Opera_ and all of its permutations were begun by the wonderful Gaston Leroux, and brought to the stage by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Obviously, as I am neither of them, I can hold claim only to my original characters, plot, and the arrangement of words on the page.

**Author's Note:** I'm sure that there are a billion stories out there that are just like this, but the idea for this just wouldn't stop nagging me, so I eventually gave in and wrote the first two chapters. However, there are many other fics also nagging at me in a similar fashion, so I would be very thankful to anyone who would review and tell me whether or not they think this is worth continuing. I'll probably post the next chapter sometime tomorrow after I've given it a final look-through.

A Phantom Melody

**Chapter 1: The Stage is Set**

Ashley pushed her way to her locker, fighting against the tide of students walking in the other direction. It was only snack, but so far Monday morning had already been depressing: pop quiz in Physics first thing in the morning, followed by a droning lecture in history and an incomprehensible lesson in math. She sighed, wishing for the billionth time that year that she didn't have to take seven classes, and that she didn't have to have the three worst classes early in the morning.

She stopped in front of her locker and smiled wearily at the girl who was already busy opening the locker above hers. "Hey, Kate," she said, setting down her backpack and fiddling with the combination lock.

"Having another wonderful Monday?" her friend asked, taking books out of her backpack. Her dirty-blonde hair was falling out of its messy bun, and she pushed it back perfunctorily before continuing. "What do we do in Marvin's class?"

"He lectures, we take notes," Ashley replied.

Kate groaned, closing her locker. "_You_ take notes. _I_ do math homework."

"Why didn't you do it in drama? You're always telling me that you do nothing in that class when you're between plays, and didn't you just finish _The Crucible_?"

"Mrs. Grimm's starting us on the musical already," Kate said, her tone a mixture of weariness and excitement. Most of the time, Ashley couldn't understand why her friend did what she did for the school's drama program. Then again, Kate always said the same about Ashley's participation in the school orchestra, so they had long ago decided to call it even. This year had been even more difficult for Kate, since the new drama teacher was working her students far harder than the old teacher who had retired at the end of last year.

"Already?"

"I know; Mrs. Tucker never started us working on it until March or April. But Mrs. Tucker never decided to perform _Phantom_."

Ashley, who had been busy switching books from her backpack to her locker, stopped in mid-motion and looked up at her friend. "As in _Phantom of the Opera_?

"Uh huh," Kate nodded, smiling. "I thought that might cheer you up. I know how much you love the songs. You'll definitely get to play the piano for this one."

Ashley stifled a squeal of excitement. If there was one thing she loved, it was music. She had been playing the piano since kindergarten, and was now in her third year playing with the high school orchestra while still taking lessons outside of school. She'd played scores from tons of Broadway musicals, but _Phantom_ was by far her favorite. The songs had enthralled her when she'd first started learning them, nearly three years ago, and now she could play nearly the entire score by heart. Her dynamics would be a little rusty, and she'd have to get used to playing for people to sing along with, but in her mind those were small prices to pay to hear and participate in a live production of _Phantom_, however amateur it might be.

"Hello, Earth to Ashley!" Kate's words penetrated her euphoria. "Ash, wake up!"

"Huh?" Ashley said. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

"Hearing the voices in your head again?" Kate asked.

"Yes, and they're making marvelous music," Ashley replied, the customary response to what had become a frequent question from her friend. "So what are you going to do? What part do you want to try out for?"

Kate shrugged. "I'll probably just be stage crew or ensemble. But…"

"But what?" Ashley pestered. "C'mon, you have to try out for _some_ role!"

"Well…I was thinking it might be cool to play Meg," Kate said.

"You can definitely get the part," Ashley said. "You know how to act, your singing's not half bad, and I can help you practice if you ever need accompaniment."

"You're just excited because you get to show off your skills in front of the rest of the school," Kate teased.

Ashley blushed a bit and turned back to getting her books for her next classes. The one thing she didn't like about playing piano as well as she did was that it sometimes put her in the spotlight. By nature she was shy around others until she got to know them well. Even around Kate, her best friend of two and a half years, she was usually quiet. "You've got it wrong," she said, slamming her locker shut and shouldering her backpack once again. "Whoever plays Christine will be the one who gets to show off."

"Not like Chrissy Adams needs any other excuses to flaunt her 'talent,' " Kate answered.

"Come on, they can't have done tryouts yet, you don't know that Chrissy will get the part," Ashley said, walking with Kate towards the bench where they generally hung out at snack and lunch.

"Ooh, I hope she doesn't!" Kate said. "But I doubt that'll happen. How many people in this school can sing well enough in the range you need to play Christine?"

"She certainly can't, from what I've heard," Ashley said. "I can't see her as Christine _at all_. She'd make a better Carlotta."

At this, Kate began to laugh. "Oh the mental images," she managed to say through giggles. "And when Carlotta croaks…" She was overcome with even more giggles, which Ashley joined in on. Christine Adams—Chrissy to her friends, less flattering names to the rest of the junior class—was probably the richest, blondest, most self-absorbed girl at the school. Unfortunately, she also happened to have a passable voice that was the only thing she actually seemed to work for. And to top it off, the choir teacher Mr. Edwards was friends with Chrissy's dad, which meant that she always snagged leading roles in choral performances and the school musical.

"Edwards would never let her get anything less than the lead, but it's fun to think of," Ashley said. "Hey, do you know anyone trying out for Erik's part?"

"You mean the Phantom?" Kate asked. "A few guys in my class want to, but they don't have the range. Andrew's trying for it." She grimaced, and Ashley patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically. Kate had madly crushed on Andrew their freshman year, and made the mistake of telling him so. Needless to say, she was always uncomfortable around him, whenever she was not busy being disgusted by his hormonal teenage attitude.

"I hope he doesn't get it," Ashley said. "Can you imagine him singing Point of No Return?"

"It'd probably be heaven for him. Not only would he get to think about sex constantly, then he'd get to sing about it as well! Eurgh," she repressed a shudder. "If he gets the Phantom's part, I might be genuinely sorry for Christine."

"He's definitely not Phantom material," Ashley agreed, "whether or not he can hit all the right notes. There's something to the character's presence, a dark sort of power that Andrew just doesn't have."

"You're rhapsodizing about fictional characters again," Kate warned.

"Is it my fault that Christine picks the wrong guy?" Ashley asked as she sat down at their bench. "I still don't get how someone in their right mind could turn down Erik for that fop of a Viscount."

"Well," Kate said, ticking off a list on her fingers, "there's the part where Erik's old enough to be her father. That should be enough, but then there's also the fact that he's a confessed murderer and quite talented extortionist. Add to that an insanely genius mind, and I don't blame Christine for being afraid!"

"Okay, so all of that does add up to something minorly disturbing," Ashley admitted. "But it's still so sad! She really breaks his heart."

" 'For either way you choose, you cannot win,' " Kate quoted. "She didn't really have much of a choice. If a guy forced me into making a decision on the spot like that, I don't think I'd be too happy with him."  
"Somehow, if you had two guys fighting over you, I don't think you'd mind," Ashley teased as the bell rang.

"Like that'll ever happen," Kate laughed. "See you in English."

"See you," Ashley said, walking in the opposite direction towards her Spanish class and mulling over the thoughts in her head. They were doing _Phantom_, and she would get to be a part of it. The production that had enthralled her from beginning to end was about to begin again, and this time, she had her own role to play.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Should I keep going? Since you've taken the time to read this far, it's the least you could do to send me a review, even if it's just one or two lines. I appreciate all feedback!**


	2. Enter Mystery Man, Stage Left

**Author's Note:** I really wasn't sure I wanted to continue this, but due to an unexpected number of positive reviews I've decided to write more. Thanks to **Emma-J-Riddle**, **kitty minky**, **MagickAlianne**, **Maska**, and **RoSeQuEeN** for their support, and I hope that you continue to like the story!

Updates will be sporadic at best, since I have 2 AP tests to study for added to the usual rigors of schoolwork, but I'll try to keep them fairly constant. Don't expect the next chapter up as quickly as this one, though—I already had this written, which is the only reason I'm able to post it so promptly.

I hate this chapter because it's predictable and it has a terrible title (I honestly couldn't think of anything better), but at the same time I love it because…well, read and you'll see.

**Chapter 2: Enter Mystery Man, Stage Left**

The first powerful chords of _Phantom_'s overture rang throughout Mrs. Draper's small house. Ashley could feel her piano teacher standing behind her, watching approvingly as she struck each new chord, her eyes barely paying attention to the music on the stand. She listened as her fingers played out the full, familiar tones, glorying in the grace of the music she was channeling. She nailed each note, remembered each crescendo and decrescendo, played as though she hadn't just received the music yesterday in orchestra class. Ashley finished off the piece with its familiar ending, and then turned to her teacher to see what the woman thought.

"You really love it," Mrs. Draper said, smiling. "And it certainly shows. But I think you're a bit overenthusiastic _here_," she indicated a measure with a wave of her hand, "and _here_." She had Ashley play the sections over and over again, making small corrections each time. When they had worked on the Overture for nearly half of her allotted hour-long lesson, and she felt confident that she knew which parts to practice, Mrs. Draper agreed that it was enough. "What do you think you should work on next?" Mrs. Draper asked.

Without hesitation, Ashley pulled the score for Music of the Night from the bag containing her music and set it on the stand. "I haven't played this in a while, and I probably need to work on the segments where the key changes, they were difficult for me before," she said. Music of the Night was one of her favorite songs to listen to, and she hoped that whoever was chosen to play Erik would be able to hit the higher notes, and make the music sound the way it was supposed to—sweetly, darkly sensual. This was definitely a song that she wanted to do justice to.

"Do you at least know which key it _starts_ in this time?" Mrs. Draper said, a hint of amusement in her voice. She was, of course, referring to the time almost seven years ago when Ashley had decided to teach herself the first few pages of Music of the Night after seeing the musical for the first time. Unfortunately, she had neglected to notice the key signature, playing instead by ear, and so it hadn't been until her lesson that she realized she'd been playing it in D instead of D flat.

"Yes, Mrs. Draper," Ashley said, smiling. There were a lot of things she knew about _Phantom_ and its music that she had not comprehended as a ten-year-old. Certain songs made much more sense now…

"Well then, play it for me as well as you can, and we'll see what needs work," Mrs. Draper said.

She began to play, and the rest of the world went silent. Though Music of the Night wasn't her favorite _Phantom_ song to see performed, it was her favorite to play, and she was soon so caught up in its alluring melody that she hardly focused on the sheet music in front of her. Her fingers glided languidly over the keys, speeding up and slowing down and keeping the rhythm of the piece. She came to the section of the music where she was required to change keys, and detachedly she noticed how smoothly she managed the transition, how naturally it flowed into the next segment. The music had taken over and was now playing her, as opposed to the other way around.

Later, when she thought back on it, Ashley realized that she had been so enveloped in her playing that she hadn't heard Mrs. Draper's front door open, hadn't even noticed the person who walked in and stood in the foyer, watching her play. But then, it had seemed like a voice rose up from nowhere to accompany her music: a perfect, full, softly seductive voice in her head. _"Floating, falling, sweet intoxication,"_ it sang softly, still managing to fill the room with quiet power.

Ashley's first instinct was to stop, to turn around and find out where the voice was coming from, but her second reaction, the one that won over, was the compulsion to keep on playing. Anything, she would do anything to keep on hearing that voice. She continued the melody, and the voice joined her again. _"Touch me, trust me,"_ it suggested, _"savor each sensation._

_"Let the dream begin,  
__Let your darker side give in  
__To the power of the music that I write—  
__The power of the music of the night!"_

The music rose, the melody along with it, and Ashley barely had time to regain her senses before the voice returned again for the final lyrics. _"You alone can make my song take flight,"_ it sang, softer than before. She could hear it, halfway between asking and commanding, _"Help me make the music of the night!"_

The mysterious singer hit the final, high note with perfect clarity, holding it until Ashley's accompaniment died away. For a moment, it was all she could do to sit and stare at the music in front of her, still caught up in the perfect beauty of that voice, the song they had crafted together… She cleared her mind with a shake of her head, then turned to the source of the voice.

The singer had moved closer to the piano as the song had progressed, and now stood barely feet away, allowing Ashley to observe him closely. The boy looked to be about her age, maybe a little older. Black jeans, black t-shirt, and black hair were sharply contrasted by pale features and cool blue eyes that met hers with more than a twinge of embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry," he said, still looking at Ashley. "I hope I didn't bother you. I just couldn't help myself, you were playing so well." He looked down at his feet sheepishly.

Ashley was glad of this, because it meant that he didn't see her furious blush at the compliment he'd paid. "You didn't bother me at all," she said. "Your singing was amazing."

"That it was," Mrs. Draper said, startling Ashley—she'd completely forgotten about her teacher standing behind her.

The boy looked startled as well, and quickly said, "I'm sorry for interrupting your lesson, Mrs. Draper."

"Generally," she said, "I'd be more annoyed—but Ashley, I think that's the best I've ever heard you play the end of that piece!" She rounded on the boy. "Damien, you never told me you sang!"

"It never came up," the boy—Damien—mumbled.

"Well, I always do end up with the talented ones," Mrs. Draper said, and Ashley heard a hint of pride in her voice.

"What high school do you go to?" Ashley asked, still caught up in her amazement. He didn't look like anyone she'd seen before around the campus.

"Silver Hills," he said, actually looking at her while he spoke this time. "But I'm new there—transferred in at the semester."

After getting over the fact that he went to her school, Ashley asked, "Have you heard about the spring musical yet? This year we're doing _Phantom_—you should audition!"

The boy flinched back almost visibly from this suggestion. "I dunno," he said, looking down and mumbling again, but Ashley thought she saw his cool blue eyes brighten a bit at the suggestion. She hoped he would try out—with a voice like that, he'd easily get a part, possibly even the Phantom's, and either way she would get to play piano for him to sing along with.

Damien sat down on the couch in Mrs. Draper's living room as the piano teacher continued the rest of the lesson. He did not sing any more, though a part of Ashley wished he would. Even without his voice added to the songs she played, Ashley was sure that his presence in the room was the cause of her successful performances of the rest of her songs. There was something about him that made her play her very best.

Finally, when her lesson was done, Ashley gathered together her music and put it back in her bag. Damien got up as she passed by him on her way to the door. "You play well," he said, rewarding her with a small smile. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime." Then he was walking over to the piano, and Ashley was out the door, still wondering at their unrehearsed duet. It continued to occupy her mind as she drove back to her house, did her homework, and ate dinner. Those final strains of music were the last things she heard before she fell asleep.


	3. Meetings and Memories

**Author's Note:** I promise, I haven't forgotten about this fic! In order to make up for the fact that this is a fairly delayed update, I've tried to make this chapter longer and as interesting as possible. However, the lag time between updates is only going to get worse as AP testing draws closer. And then after AP testing, I have a big MUN conference. I had one last weekend, too, or this probably would have been up sooner.

Thanks to **YoukoElfMaiden**, **Emma-J-Riddle**, and **Obsessed-anime-lover** for your reviews of the previous chapter. I hope you like this one. Please, if you're reading this, drop me a review. Any criticism or suggestions on style, plot, etc. are greatly appreciated! (To Katherine: I wanted to title this chapter "Memories and Socks," but I couldn't find a way to fit socks into the plot.)

**Chapter 3: Meetings and Memories**

"Did you hear the announcements?" Kate asked Ashley at snack the next day when they were at their lockers again. "There's a meeting at lunch today in the theater for everyone who wants to be in the musical, and auditions start on Monday!"

"So I won't be seeing you at lunch, then," Ashley said, stuffing her Spanish book into her backpack. While the prospective actors and actresses for the musical were required to try out in front of the drama and choir teachers, the musicians were hand-picked by the band and orchestra teachers. As the school's best pianist, Ashley had already been asked to play by Mr. Erickson, and of course had accepted.

"Please come with me," Kate said. "I need moral support—it'll be the first time I get to see who else is trying out for Meg's part."

Ashley sighed, closing her locker. "Honestly, Kate, you're better than you think you are! Don't worry about who else is trying for the part, just worry about how well you do."

"So you're coming with me?" Kate asked.

Ashley sighed again. "Yes."

Kate smiled. "Of course you are; that's what friends are for. You can help me size up the competition."

"Sure," Ashley said. "Do you even know anyone who wants Meg's part?"

"Well…no," Kate admitted. "But there are bound to be people who try out for no part in particular, and I've got to be able to sing better than all of them. Mrs. Grimm's not afraid to cast the best person for the part, whether they want it or not."

"Then you'll do fine," Ashley said.

"Well, I just keep telling myself that," Kate said, shutting her locker and picking up her backpack. "Power of positive thinking, right?"

"That and practice," Ashley said. "I'm not doing anything this weekend if you want me to help you find a song to audition with."

"That would be great," Kate said, hugging her friend. "What would I do without you?"

* * *

_Silence.__ The curtain rests upon the stage, still drawn closed. Then, slowly, the edges twitch, and it begins to open. The girl looks over to her mother, sitting in the next seat. "Does this mean it's finally starting?" she whispers._

_"Yes," her mother says, "any minute now."_

_The girl strains to see the first sign of movement on the stage, to hear the first note played by the grand orchestra that her mother pointed out to her on their way to their seats. Any minute now, she tells herself. Any minute now…_

"Señorita Ashley?"

With a jolt, Ashley snapped back into the present. Spanish was definitely not her favorite class, and she tended to pay very little attention to the teacher. "Yes, Mrs. Rodriguez?" she said.

"Contesta la pregunta, por favor," the teacher said, looking pointedly at Ashley. Slipping into English, she said, "Unless you don't know which question we were on?"

Ashley mumbled something affirmative, and said, "Sorry."

Mrs. Rodriguez gave her a small glare. "Question three, exercise five, please."

Ashley nodded and read the answer to the question, but her thoughts were still elsewhere. This time, their wandering led them back to Damien, a subject that had occupied them ever since she met him the previous day. He seemed so quiet and mysterious, yet his voice held a power that she was enthralled by. She was secretly looking forward to going with Kate to the lunch meeting—if Damien wanted to sing in the musical, he'd be there, and she'd get to see him again, maybe talk to him.

She spent a few moments trying to figure out why she was so intrigued by this newcomer, but as had happened the last times she'd tried, she soon gave up. Sure, there was his voice, but somehow Ashley felt that it was something more than that. Something _meaningful_. Something that she should understand.

Ashley felt herself spinning off into her thoughts again and tugged herself back. She really should be paying attention, especially in this class; language wasn't her strong suit, and she was still regretting choosing Spanish over something else. Still, her school only offered Spanish, French, and German, and her parents had talked her out of French, insisting that Spanish would be more practical for someone living in southern California. Thus she was left with learning the language, whether she liked it or not.

Ashley took a deep breath in and let it out in a sigh. _Less than two periods left until lunch_, she thought, settling in to listen to her teacher's rapid-fire Spanish. _A long two periods_.

* * *

Though she complained, lunch came sooner than Ashley had expected, and she walked out of English class with Kate into the oddly sunny day outside feeling confident that the rest of the day would go well. After all, she only had history and orchestra left, and then the day was over. 

Walking beside her, Kate bit her lip repeatedly, a sign that Ashley knew meant her friend was thinking hard, or nervous—often both. "Any new news on who's trying out for who?" Ashley asked, trying to lighten things up.

"I heard Bobby and Kevin are hoping to get Andre and Firmin, so that they can sing the Notes songs together," Kate said, a small smile. Bobby and Kevin Cunningham were fraternal twins, a grade above Ashley and Kate, who nearly the whole school knew of. Charismatic and gut-wrenchingly funny, they were also both involved in the school's drama program and nearly always played comical characters.

"That would be fun to watch," Ashley said. "They work together really well."

Kate nodded absently as they approached the school's theater. "They've got a pretty good chance," she said, walking up the short flight of stairs and through the double doors to the auditorium. Ashley walked through the door her friend held open for her and the two girls walked down the side aisle to snag seats in the front near the stage. Mrs. Grimm, the new drama teacher, stood on the stage next to the choir teacher, Mr. Edwards. Papers were taped to the stage—sign ups for auditions, no doubt.

People slowly filed into the room as the minutes passed. Ashley sat and started to eat her lunch, while Kate tried very hard not to look ridiculously nervous. Ashley had to admit, her friend was doing better at it than usual.

Finally, Mrs. Grimm walked to the center of the stage, looked down at the milling people, and whistled sharply to get everyone's attention. The crowd immediately silenced, and people who had been standing sank into the nearest seats. Ashley scanned the people—no sign of Damien. Was he even coming?

She needn't have worried. As Mrs. Grimm started talking, briefly explaining what acting in the spring musical entailed, Ashley heard the door to the auditorium open, and saw a figure in dark clothing walk in and take a lone seat in the back. Well, at least this meant he was considering the musical, Ashley thought on the bright side. With his voice, Mrs. Grimm would have to be a fool not to cast him in some singing role.

"The spring musical is a big commitment," Mrs. Grimm cautioned. "But, if you still feel like you want to participate, sign up sheets for auditions are on the stage. If you don't know that you want a specific part, just sign up under ensemble."

There was a rush around the front of the stage as people got out of their seats and crowed around the papers, eager to put down their names for their desired parts. Kate hung back a bit, though whether out of nervousness or practicality, Ashley wasn't sure.

She was just scanning the people to look if she could see what part Damien was trying out for when she felt someone standing behind her. Ashley turned around to see him waiting politely in back of her, tall as ever and appearing slightly ominous in his black clothing.

Ashley smiled at him, stepping out of the aisle. "I'm sorry, was I in your way? I'm not signing up, you can go ahead."

Looking almost surprised at being addressed, Damien shook his head curtly. "That's alright. I'm still thinking about trying out."

"I think you'd do a great job as the Phantom," Ashley blurted out, before thinking of how the comment made her sound. _Gosh, it's not like I'm his fangirl, or anything,_ she thought as she looked at him, anxious for his response.

Contrary to whatever she had anticipated, Damien smiled. "Thanks—that was a compliment, right?" A slight but musical chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm thinking about it. I'll probably just go for ensemble, though—I'm sure you've got enough good people from your school's drama program without me butting in."

_No one as good as you,_ Ashley thought, remembering his unbelievable voice, but she said nothing. Now was definitely not the time for any more hero-worshipping comments. "Well, good luck then," she said as she saw Kate walking towards her.

"Thanks," Damien said. He turned and walked past Kate to examine the papers up on the stage.

"Who was that?" Kate asked once she and Ashley were out of the theater and back in the sunshine outside. "I don't think I've seen him around campus before. What grade's he in?"

"His name's Damien, and I think he's a junior," Ashley said. "He just transferred in here from another high school at the semester. He's started taking lessons from my piano teacher."

Kate nodded. "Is he any good?"

"I don't know about piano," Ashley said, "but he's got one hell of a voice." She related the experience of the previous day to her best friend.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kate asked when Ashley was through explaining. "I thought we had an agreement: you tell me if you ever find a nice guy who can sing, and I do the same for you. And Damien's no eyesore," she added. "With a bit more color in his wardrobe, he could go from semi-gothic to downright adorable."

Ashley had to laugh at the idea of Damien being "adorable;" it was not a word she would have ever used to describe him. As her friend kept talking, a smile slowly crept onto Ashley's face. Today hadn't been so bad after all.


	4. Singing in the Rain

**Author's Note:** First, my utmost apologies at taking so long to post this chapter. AP testing hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. But, my tests are all over now, and the rest of the school year should get easier on me. That said, I still don't know that I'll be able to update on a regular schedule, but I'm aiming for once a week. I hope that's good enough! If you're looking for a more regular indicator of my progress on this story, I have finally succumbed to the blogging world and gotten myself a livejournal account; the link's posted under "homepage" on my profile. Hopefully, I'll post my progress on each chapter there.

As usual, a giant thank you to all of my reviewers. I actually have tweaked the storyline a bit due to some of your comments! I hope that you continue to enjoy (and that you continue to review).

**Chapter 4: Singing in the Rain**

By the time Ashley left her last class on Friday and headed for the school parking lot, it had started to drizzle lightly. She took a mental inventory of her backpack, comparing its contents to what she needed for homework and realizing that she didn't need to make a trip to her locker before heading home. She hurried out to the parking lot, walking all the way to the back of the lot furthest from the school, getting into her car just before the drizzle turned into full-on rain.

Ashley was proud of her pre-owned old-style powder blue Volkswagen Beetle, which she had bought using savings from freshman year onward. Some of her classmates from more well-off families had received expensive cars for their sixteenth birthdays, but Ashley was pleased to say that she had bought hers all on her own.

Ash drove through the rain, windshield wipers and lights on, thinking about her weekend. Next Monday would be the start of auditions for the musical, and Kate was coming over later today so that she and Ashley could find a song for her to audition with. In her head, Ashley began running through the songs she could play that fell within Kate's range, coming up with a few she felt were good choices.

She pulled to a halt at a stop light. Another car pulled up in the lane next to her, blaring some sort of loud music—Ashley could hear the bass beat from her car. She honestly didn't understand popular music; a lot of it didn't seem like much more than noise. Most of her favorite music was from musicals, or from something she'd played in orchestra.

Her Phantom of the Opera original London cast CD sat innocently on the dashboard. With a smile Ashley picked it up, popped it in the CD tray, and turned the volume up. The guy in the car next to her was suddenly startled by the Overture to the show, and Ashley laughed as she saw the look he gave her. But just then the light changed, and she sped off, still giggling. _It's probably the only culture he'll be exposed to all week,_ she thought, turning the volume down a bit and listening for the rest of the ten-minute drive home.

Ashley was glad to be home at the start of what looked like a relaxing weekend. Her only homework was in Precalculus, and she knew that she wouldn't even think about doing it until after dinner Sunday night. Everything would go well.

Her dad was still at work, so Ashley had the house to herself for a while. She hated not seeing him around much during the week, but since he worked as an activities director at Harbor View High School, a few cities over from Silver Hills, he had to oversee all school activities such as sports events, plays, and dances. However, working at a school in the same district meant that he also had the same holidays as his daughter, and he was usually home most of the weekend.

She put her backpack down by the front door, then went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk. Of course, since she was having milk, she had an urge to have cookies as well, but the only ones she could find were old store-bought ones. She sighed; they would have to do. Maybe later this weekend, if she found some time, she could make some of her own. It would be good to have homemade chocolate chip cookies again.

Once Ashley finished her snack, she rinsed her glass, washed her hands, and walked from the kitchen into the living/dining room. A great deal of the space was taken up by a grand piano that stood proudly in the corner, scattered with sheet music of all sorts. Ashley loved the piano in general, but moreso, she loved _her_ piano. It had been in the family for ages, coming to Ashley from her grandmother, and it was old; the white keys were covered in actual ivory, from before poaching elephants for their tusks had been made illegal, and the black keys were similarly enameled in ebony. Despite its age, it was always kept perfectly in tune.

Ashley sat down at the bench and began to play an old blues piece from memory as a bit of a warm-up. Her fingers skimmed across the keys, the notes sounding as a counterpoint to the falling rain and the ever-present _tick-tock_ of the clock on the mantel that had served as Ashley's first metronome. She loved having the house to herself, and never really felt lonely even when left alone; however empty the house was at times, all it took was the right music to fill it. The current piece had a nice rhythm that allowed her to loosen up and unwind after a long Friday.

Ashley didn't know what she would do without music. Her first memories were of her mother singing to her and holding her close. Even as a small child, music had enthralled Ashley; her mother's voice had had the power to put her to sleep, make her forget about the pain of a particularly bad stomachache, even dry her tears.

But no music could begin to stop the tears that pricked at the corner of her eyes even now. She stopped playing and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, careful not to let a single tear spill onto the polished wood of the piano.

The doorbell rang, dispelling her thoughts. Ash grabbed a tissue and blew her nose on the way to the door. She took a quick look in the bathroom mirror as she passed; her eyes were only slightly red, and she didn't look like she had cried. Peering through the front window, she saw Kate huddled under the eaves, just outside the door. Ashley unlocked it and opened it, letting her friend in.

"This weather is crazy," Kate said as she shrugged out of her raincoat, dropping it on the floor in the entryway and setting her umbrella down on top of it. "I swear it was sunny this morning."

"Well, it is still winter, sort of," Ashley said, smiling at her friend. Kate was definitely a warm-weather person, comfortable in summer sun and short skirts, whereas Ash tended to favor autumn and winter, when she could go about in jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Spring," Kate corrected, "and it has been for nearly a week."

"Fine, then, have it your way," Ashley laughed, glad for the company of her friend. "So, are you ready to get started?" she asked, motioning to the piano.

"Sure," Kate said in a resigned voice.

For the next hour and a half, the two girls fooled with the piano, Ashley playing song after song for Kate to accompany. Ash tried to objectively judge her friend's singing voice, but found it a little difficult; after all, objectivity around friends always was. But Ashley felt that Kate sang well, certainly well enough to garner a singing part in the show. As time progressed, things became less serious, and Ashley started playing sillier songs, Kate singing loudly (and sometimes badly) along with. Ashley smiled. Days like this made her remember just how good it was to be someone's friend, to have someone to giggle absurdly with.

By five-thirty their practice session had degenerated into more of a laugh session, not that either girl cared. But finally, "It's kind of late," Kate noticed.

"Did you need to be home for dinner?" Ashley asked. "You could eat here."

"Ooh, and we could watch a movie!" Kate said. "Let me call my mom."

As Kate used the kitchen phone to dial her house, Ashley tried to organize some of the sheet music that had been haphazardly spread about the piano. After much deliberation, Kate had decided to actually audition using Angel of Music, singing Meg's actual part. Ashley thought her friend would do a good job, if she didn't chicken out or doubt herself.

When she'd managed to put away at least some of the music, she walked into the kitchen where Kate was just finishing up with her mother. "Yes, mom, I promise. No, I won't drive if it's raining too hard. Yes, my lights are working. No, I won't be out too late, and I know to be careful on the freeway. I love you. Bye." She hung up the phone, sighing. "Mothers." A wealth of background was contained in that single exasperated word. Kate's mother worked as a nurse in a nearby children's hospital, and in the line of her profession had come across examples of the more gruesome things that could happen to kids. This being the case, she was somewhat overprotective at times.

"You can always stay the night, if your mom doesn't want you driving in the rain," Ashley said, half teasing.

"That's what I told her," Kate said. "I might take you up on that." She cleared her throat. "But that's for later. What's for dinner?"

The girls fished around in the freezer, coming up with half a pizza from a few days ago. Ashley put a few pieces in the oven to heat while Kate started rummaging through Ashley's small DVD collection. She emerged with a copy of the newest Phantom movie in hand. "Whaddaya think about this?"

"Definitely appropriate," Ashley agreed. Kate turned on the TV, popped the disc in the DVD player, and started it just as the smell of pizza told Ashley that their dinner was done.

They ate on the couch and watched the movie, chatting through all of the scenes and talking about everything from how their school could duplicate some of the more important effects to how much fun it would be to wear some of the Masquerade costumes. When Ashley's dad arrived home from the high school basketball game he'd been supervising, he found his daughter and her friend deep in conversation, with Point of No Return playing on the television in front of them.

"No way Andrew could sing that with a straight face," Kate said, gesturing to the screen where the Phantom was singing, as if that proved her point.

"No way anyone would want to sing across from him," Ashley added as Christine began her part.

"Especially sing _that_." Kate shuddered. "I hope Damien's as good as you say—_someone_ needs to beat Andrew."

"Yeah…" Ashley said, transported back for an instant to the sound of a different Phantom, singing a different song.

"Ooh, you know what I heard?" Kate said, pulling Ashley out of her thoughts. "Shannon in my drama class has math with him, and she said he transferred here from some sort of performing arts high school. She said he said his family had to move here because of his father's job."

"That could explain a lot of things," Ashley said, not paying much attention to the movie any more. "You think he took singing lessons?"

"How would I know?" Kate replied. "You're the one who heard him sing. You tell me."

"I guess we'll both get to hear him Monday," Ashley said.

"I guess we will," Kate replied. Just then, Christine on the TV screen pulled the Phantom's mask off, and the two girls were once again riveted to the action of the movie. Ashley's father smiled and walked into the kitchen to get himself some dinner, pleased to see his daughter so happy. _When she smiles,_ he thought, _she looks just like her mother._


	5. Suddenly There Is Music

**Author's Note:** And here I thought school was over and done for now that I'm done with AP testing. Alas, 'tis not so. I have an MUN conference next weekend, which means that I'll spend this week preparing instead of writing this, and I've also got a project for AP Euro. So it looks like next week will go without an update. However, as a bit of a compensation, this chapter is by far the longest one I've written yet, and I'm posting it a day early. I hope that makes up for some of it!

Thank you to all of my reviewers. I'm glad you like Damien, and thank you to everyone who commended me for not following the stereotypical plot. Believe me, that's what I've been trying to stay away from! Without further ado, I give you the next chapter, so that you may read and (hopefully) enjoy.

**Chapter 5: Suddenly There Is Music**

_Monday again,_ Ashley thought dejectedly. _Oh, how I hate Mondays_. It didn't help that it was raining. The weekend had been coated by a consistent drizzle. It hadn't been so bad, since Ash had been able to stay inside, but the rain had continued on to this day and Ashley found going to school in the rain to be miserable—not just because her school didn't have covered hallways, meaning her backpack and books always got soaked, but also because she never paid attention in class when it was raining; she was too busy wanting to be outside.

It was dark outside the school now, barely light enough for Ashley to see and turn the dial on her locker, but that was understandable—it wasn't Daylight Savings Time yet, and it _was_ early. The luminescent dial on her watch read 6:45. She opened her locker and pulled out the textbooks for Physics and AP US History, putting them in her backpack along with her Precalculus text which she'd needed over the weekend. All the while she tried to stay as close to the building as possible, barely remaining under the meager protection provided by the eaves.

Well, she reflected, at least there were auditions for the musical today. She wasn't required to be there—she was already guaranteed a spot as the lone pianist—but she'd promised Kate she'd be there after school for moral support. She'd been planning on going to watch even before her friend had asked her, continuing a tradition she'd started last year when she'd watched out of curiosity. She was always surprised by the number of talented actors, singers, and dancers who were students at Silver Hills.

_And you want to hear Damien,_ a voice in the back of her head reminded her. Ashley blushed slightly and slammed her locker shut a bit harder than necessary. It was true; it had been almost a week since she'd last heard him sing, but still she remembered and marveled at his perfect pitch, the way his voice had melded with her accompaniment on the piano.

She shook her head and looked out at the rain, which had only gotten harder, if that were possible. Barely under the eaves as she was, she was saved from most of the downpour, but it was coming down too fast for her to risk leaving the shelter of the awning just yet.

Ashley sighed, looking out at the puddles that speckled the campus pavement. Sure, she'd always been a bit of a daydreamer, the quiet type, but suddenly the music of one boy had caught her by surprise and taken her by a violent hold. It seemed that she spent at least half of her spare time thinking about the few moments she'd spent with Damien, the short conversations they'd had seeming so much longer in retrospect.

_Let's face it, girl,_ Ashley said to herself, _you've got it bad for him_. But somehow the idea just didn't stick. It wasn't that she was denying her attraction to him; it was more like she hadn't quite accepted its existence yet.

With a self-disparaging laugh, Ashley left the shelter of the eaves and made a mad dash through the rain to the science building, using her umbrella to fend off what water she could. Even as she ran, her thoughts centered around her emotions. She admitted to herself that Damien had an amazing voice, and that he possessed a quiet sort of…charm? Charisma? She didn't know what to call it. But that alone was not reason enough for her. She wasn't the sort to have silly crushes based on simple things like that.

She made it to her Physics classroom without getting too wet, and walked inside. What was it she felt for Damien? _An infatuation,_ she decided sensibly. _Nothing more._

Ashley pulled further and further away from her self-contemplative mood as the day progressed. Her classes were not as taxing as she'd dreaded, and by midday the rain had abated. Now, with just minutes left of her last class, she saw through the window a few rays of sun poking through the heavy cloud cover.

Everyone in her orchestra class was just as eager for Monday to be over as she was. The last performance of the song they were practicing was nowhere near as good as their previous renditions, but since Mr. Erickson didn't threaten them with staying after school to practice, Ashley didn't care. She knew that she could do better; she just wasn't motivated to do better at this moment.

After what seemed like an eternity the final bell rang, and the students pushed and shoved to file out of the room. Ash stood to the side, letting others pass before exiting herself.

Outside, the grass and trees of the quad were still wet, and shimmered slightly in the newly bright light. Ashley hurried to get to her locker and pick up the books she needed. Her father was working late again tonight, so depending on how long auditions ran, she would probably be home at around the same time as him. Today was voice auditions only, but that was precisely what Ashley was interested in, so she was glad when she entered the theater to see that they had not started yet.

She set her backpack down on a seat in the back row, then scanned the people who were in the auditorium. She spotted Kate, and went over to encourage her friend.

Kate needed encouraging. "I'm not gonna do this, I can't!" she said as Ashley approached. "Why did I let you talk me into this again?"

"Because you know you're good, and you're capable of getting a part," Ashley replied. "Don't worry—you'll do fine!"

"You always say that," Kate grumbled.

"And have I ever been wrong?" Ashley questioned, attempting to appear innocent.

"Well, yes," said Kate. "But I guess I shouldn't dwell."

"Exactly! So why didn't you listen when I said it the first time?"

Kate smiled. "That would've been too easy. I figure, if you're here as moral support, you should have a chance to feel morally supportive."

It was Ashley's turn to smile. "That's the way to think about it," she said. "Do you know the order of auditions yet?" she began, but was cut off by Mrs. Grimm's appearance from backstage.

"Alright," Mrs. Grimm said, the occupants of the theater immediately quieting down, "we've got a lot of people to get through, and I'd like to get all of the singing auditions done today so that we can get on to other things.

"I hope you're all here, because you're going to audition in alphabetical order by last name." She paused. "So if you have any friends with 'A' or 'B' names, and they aren't here, you might want to go find them."

Ash saw two people swiftly exit through the back doors of the theater. Beside her Kate said, "Phew, that was close." With a last name of Ackerman, she would probably be one of the first to audition.

"You gonna be okay?" Ashley asked her friend.

"Yeah…" Kate said weakly, smiling. "Guess I have to be." She looked around. "Do you see Chrissy? She'd be right after me, probably."

Ashley didn't see the literal drama queen as she scanned the theater.

"Maybe she won't show up," Kate said hopefully. She was stopped from further speculating by Mrs. Grimm calling her name. "Well, wish me luck," Kate said. Ashley could almost hear the butterflies flapping in her friend's stomach as she walked over to the stage.

Ashley had just taken her seat in the back of the auditorium when her friend began to sing. Trying to listen with a critical ear for pitch, tone, and other things, Ashley thought that Kate was doing fairly well. She sang the notes sweetly and with expression, something that many other high school singers lacked, according to Kate. Though Ashley did not know Mrs. Grimm very well, by the time Kate finished her song Ashley thought the teacher looked pleased with the performance.

As soon as she was off the stage, Kate ran back to Ashley. "Was I horrible? I didn't quite hit that note right in the last measure—I think I might have been a little off—"

She likely would have continued in this vein had Ashley not hugged her friend and said, "Shut up. You did great. I didn't notice anything wrong with the last measure. You are worrying too much!"

Kate pulled away and smiled. "You think?" she asked.

"Always," Ashley replied. "Are you staying for the rest of the auditions?"

"Of course, I have to see—or rather, _hear_—who I'm up against. And besides," she said as she took a seat in the back, Ashley following suit, "I've at least gotta stay to hear Damien sing, even if it's just so I can know how good he really is."

Mrs. Grimm's voice rang out through the theater. "Is Christine Adams here?"

"Hah! She's not going to make it!" Kate said, sounding excited.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Ashley said, looking to the back door of the auditorium, which had just opened.

The lights inside the theater were dim enough that the sunlight behind the figure standing in the doorway appeared as a glowing silhouette. The girl walked slowly down the aisle to the stage, taking her time and appearing as regal as a model parading down the runway. She casually flipped her long, curly blonde hair over one shoulder, removed her designer sunglasses, and hooked them over the already low neckline of the V-neck shirt she wore. Ashley could swear she heard a few of the boys start to drool. Beside her, Kate shuddered.

Chrissy Adams approached the stage as though she owned it. Mrs. Grimm eyed her suspiciously, taking in her clothing that was more suited to the beach in the summer than to school in the winter with more than a little disdain. "Are you Christine Adams?" she asked coolly, her voice carrying.

For a second, Chrissy appeared shocked that there was someone on campus who didn't know her. After a moment, she said, "Yes, but most people call me Chrissy."

"Well, _Chrissy_," Mrs. Grimm said, "you appear to be having a lucky day. You came within a minute of missing your audition time. Please, on stage now, and we'll see if you were worth the wait."

"This is great!" Kate said, nudging Ashley. "Mrs. Grimm is officially my new hero! I can't believe she told Chrissy off like that!"

"I don't think Chrissy can believe it either," Ashley said, indicating a Chrissy who looked slightly bewildered and out of place.

"Serves her for thinking she owns everything," Kate said. "Maybe she won't be able to sing."

Much to Kate's disappointment, Chrissy's confrontation with Mrs. Grimm had not cost her her voice; she sang as well as she ever did. _Which isn't all that well,_ Ashley thought privately. As if that mattered. Though Mrs. Grimm did not appear at all impressed by Chrissy's performance, Mr. Edwards was practically giving her a standing ovation by the time she finished.

"I hate her," Kate said. "She'll get the part, you know. And why? Because she knows the right people."

Ashley stayed silent; she knew her friend well enough to know that it was best not to argue with her when she was indignant already. The girls watched the next few auditions in silence, not paying too much attention. Ashley pulled out her math book and started working on homework; Kate sat and seethed. Half of Ashley's mind was on the auditions going on, but the other half was unfortunately diverted by trigonometric notation of imaginary numbers. She was paying little enough attention that she didn't notice a certain boy dressed in black with hair to match enter through the back side door, near the sound booth. It was Kate who noticed first; she nudged Ashley and whispered, "Look who else is here," pointing in his direction.

The math homework was immediately forgotten. "So he's going to sing!" Ashley said, excitement evident in her voice. She looked up at the stage and the girl currently singing. "What's her last name?" she asked Kate, wanting to know when Damien would be up.

"Um, Friedburg, I think," Kate said. "I don't know her too well, she's a sophomore, but I'm pretty sure."

_Then he's up soon,_ Ashley thought. Aloud she said, "Fulbrook's his surname."

"So I won't be waiting long," Kate said. "I don't know, I'm beginning to have my doubts. I mean, how many high school students can sing as well as you say he can? Maybe you were a little…distracted," she teased. "I didn't know you liked black."

"Shut up, I do not!" Ashley said a little louder than necessary, blushing slightly as she remembered that under her sweatshirt she actually was wearing a black top. _Completely a coincidence,_ she thought, resolving not to take off the sweatshirt, even if a sudden heat wave swept through.

All of that was washed from her mind when she heard Mrs. Grimm say, "Damien Fulbrook?" Ashley looked to the stage and saw Damien step forward, seemingly from the shadows. She did not think he looked nervous. _Good,_ she thought, _he has no need to be. If he can just sing like he did last week…_ That song was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

And then he began to sing, and Ashley was immediately forced to revise her opinion. _This_ was surely the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. The song he sang was not in English—it sounded like it might have been Italian. But although she did not understand the words being said, the passion of his voice spoke for itself, weaving a tale of light and dark, life and death, love and loss. The music was operatic in style, perfectly showing off Damien's unbelievable range. His presence was commanding, drawing all eyes toward him. Ashley had no choice but to stare as he sang on.

The song ended all too soon, and Ashley came to her senses like one suddenly released from a spell. She turned to Kate, sitting beside her. The look on her friend's face mirrored her own: one of awe at such amazing talent and beauty. Quickly Ashley turned her gaze to Mrs. Grimm and Mr. Edwards, who stood off to the edge of the stage. Mr. Edwards was trying to keep a straight face, but his eyes were open too far for his expression to appear normal. Mrs. Grimm did a better job of keeping her emotions from showing on her face, but somehow she just looked _happy_, like someone ready to go skipping through fields of daisies. The entire theater was completely silent.

"I take it all back," Kate whispered to Ashley, breaking the stillness. "Your descriptions didn't do him justice!"

"Well," Ashley said, once she was able to speak again, "I did try to warn you…"


	6. Casting Complications

**Author's Note:** As usual, I am sorry for taking so long on this! I thought that everything would be easy once AP exams were done, but as it turns out my teachers had different plans. So, sadly, today was really the first chance I had to write in a while. Thank you all for your patience, and thanks again to all those who reviewed.

This will probably be the last update in a while because—lucky person that I am—I leave on June 25th to spend four weeks in Europe with my family on vacation. We're spending a week in London, and while there I will _finally_ be seeing a real live stage production of _Phantom of the Opera_! So while this does give me a great chance to "research" for this fic, it also means that I probably won't be updating again until August.

I will have my Pocket PC with me, and will be writing while I'm gone, but probably won't have internet access. The best way to keep informed of what I'm writing and when I'll be able to post next is probably to check my livejournal: www (dot) livejournal (dot) com / users / readingredhead. If and when I get online during my trip, I'll be sure to post there. I think that covers it; on to the chapter!

**Chapter 6: Casting Complications**

The week passed in a slightly monotonous blur of the usual homework and before Ashley would have guessed it, it was Friday again. Kate had grown slightly less nervous about the musical over the course of the week, but by Friday her doubts were beginning to resurface.

"What if I didn't do as well as I thought I did?" she asked Ashley while they were sitting and eating lunch. "What if I don't get a singing part?"

"And what if the moon was _really_ made of cheese?" Ashley asked, imitating one of her elementary school teachers. "Honestly, Kate, the next time you worry about this I think I'll have to hit you."

"But they haven't posted the cast list yet," Kate said, sounding slightly less anxious but not fooling her best friend. "It _never_ took Mrs. Tucker this long to decide on parts."

"Mrs. Grimm doesn't seem much like Mrs. Tucker," Ashley observed. "Remember how she treated Chrissy? Mrs. Tucker always let her get her way—maybe it's taking them so long to cast because Mrs. Grimm doesn't want to cast Chrissy as Christine, and she's having to argue it out with Mr. Edwards."

"She _did_ have the best singing voice of the people who tried out," Kate said grudgingly.

"But you keep telling me she can't act," Ashley countered. "And a musical isn't all about singing, right?"

"Not _all_," Kate conceded, a small smile on her face. "Okay, I'll stop worrying—at least when I'm around you. You're no fun when you turn psychoanalyst on me."

"Why, because I'm right?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Kate said.

"You just did," Ashley pointed out with a laugh.

"Fine, changing topics!" Kate said exasperatedly. "Um…" She paused for a minute. "Darn, I can't think of anything interesting to talk about!"

Ashley laughed. "Fine, let's talk about this musical, I won't bring up your performance if you don't want me to."

"Alright," Kate said. "I can live with that."

"But you were amazing, and you will get the part."

Kate turned to her friend. "I thought we weren't talking about me."

"Of course not, Meg—I mean, Kate."

"Stop that!" Kate said. "Really changing subjects this time. Who do you think has the Phantom's part?"

Ashley thought for a moment, forcing herself to actually critique every audition she'd seen in an unbiased way. "Well," she said after a minute, "it's down to Andrew or Damien, I think. I guess it depends on what Grimm and Edwards are looking for."

Kate, who had practically shuddered at the mention of Andrew's name, said, "I _really_ hope not Andrew."

"He's a really good actor, though," Ashley admitted. She'd seen him in too many of the school's plays, and though her best friend hated him, Ash could never deny that he was one of the best actors at the school.

"What's up with you?" Kate asked. "He's a pervert. And Damien sings so much better."

There was no denying that; though Andrew could hit all the right notes, Damien gave those notes a depth of feeling beyond what the average high schooler could portray. "Well, yeah, he does," Ashley said, blushing slightly and not sure why.

"It'll be him," Kate said, either not noticing her friend's reaction or simply not commenting. "His looks are too dark for Grimm to cast him as Raoul. Andrew, on the other hand, could look the pretty-boy if he needed to."

Ashley had to laugh at the idea of Andrew as Raoul. Kate was right—he was a good enough actor that he could play a character so completely unlike himself. It was the sort of thing that would do him good.

Their talk turned to the other performances they had seen at the auditions, and they went on predicting parts for nearly half the cast, laughing at some of each other's suggestions. When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, they were both giggling, Kate's previous apprehension completely forgotten.

* * *

The theatre was quiet after hours. Soon, it would be filled with noises and rehearsals and music from three to eight daily, but until parts for the musical were assigned, it remained empty. 

Ashley trod softly through this silence, sliding in through one of the side doors and padding down to the stage and the orchestra pit. She and a few others had been practicing the Phantom songs here during their last class, to re-accustom themselves to the room's acoustics. It wasn't until she got home after school that she realized she'd left most of her music here, music she was expected to practice over the weekend. So she'd come back.

The quiet was slightly disturbing, especially here in a place which Ashley associated with music and acting and song. She stepped down into the pit, making her way to the keyboard and bending down to pick up her music, which was on the floor next to it. For a moment she thought of playing something, just to dispel the silence, but shook her head. She really should get going; her dad was actually going to be home tonight, and she'd promised to cook an actual dinner.

Ash was just about to exit the pit when she heard a conversation, coming from the area behind the stage. She ducked down, near-invisible to anyone on the stage, and listened. After a moment, the voices resolved themselves into those of Mrs. Grimm and Mr. Edwards.

"Are you sure she can handle it?" Mrs. Grimm sounded skeptical. "Her voice is good, but to be frank, I've heard better."

"At a high school level?" Mr. Edwards demanded incredulously. "Pardon me for saying so, Janice, but I highly doubt that. Miss Adams has been singing since she was six, and has had a singing role in the past two musicals."

_Ah hah_, Ashley thought. So they were discussing casting. Part of her mind nagged at her, saying that this wasn't the sort of conversation she should be hearing and that perhaps she should leave, but the other half justified her continued presence by reasoning that, if she left, she couldn't do so without the teachers noticing. They they'd definitely think she'd been eavesdropping. She had no choice; she would stay until they left, and if found she'd just have to tell the truth and hope they believed her.

"Nonetheless, I'd feel better if we double cast the role, let someone else take half the shows," Mrs. Grimm continued. "I'm not denying that she is good, I'm just trying to make this the best production possible."

"Yes, but I believe _I_ am responsible for the vocal aspects of this production," Mr. Edwards countered. "I have great faith in Chrissy's talent."

Ashley could hear Mrs. Grimm's sigh of defeat from where she hid, and for a moment she forgot where she was and echoed it with a sigh of her own. Chrissy had the part now.

"We should at least find a capable understudy," Mrs. Grimm said. "Someone else has to be capable of playing the part."

"I'm not sure anyone is," Mr. Edwards said condescendingly. "After all, _Phantom_ is not a musical to be taken lightly—possibly it was a mistake to attempt with a high school cast?"

Mrs. Grimm took the gibe in stride. "Well, mistake or not, we've already purchased the scripts and the rights to perform the play, so there's no going back now." Ashley could almost see the saccharine smile the drama teacher must have been giving. Her tone was not in the least respectful as she said, "If you'll excuse me, I have a musical to cast." Ash heard her footsteps slowly retreat and heard a door close backstage, likely the one that connected the backstage area to the drama room.

She heard what she thought was a frustrated sigh from Mr. Edwards before he, too, walked backstage and exited, though into the choir room instead of the drama room.

Finally alone, Ashley let out her own sigh of relief. Not wanting to be caught, and not knowing if either of the teachers might return, she quickly left the auditorium and made her way back to her car, all the time pondering what she had heard.


	7. Welcome Surprises

**Author's Note: **I'm back! I'm sure that you all missed me. Well, I didn't think that I'd actually post anything while away on vacation, but I wrote this chapter on my Pocket PC and had the time to retype it onto the computer of the family I'm staying with, so I did.

Besides, the fact that I have now seen _Phantom of the Opera_ performed live in London, from front row center seats on the first balcony, was more than a little inspiring. Oh my goodness, was it amazing! I still don't understand how they did it. Earl Carpenter was playing the Phantom, and he was remarkable—I thought his reactions in the final lair scene were superb. You could literally feel the shock of emotion that ran through the entire audience when Christine kissed him…

But enough of that. This chapter is slightly shorter than usual, though I'm hoping most of my wonderful reviewers won't mind too much. I was going to include more in this chapter, but I didn't think I'd have time (or energy) to type it all tonight—I leave tomorrow to spend a week in Venice and Florence. (I'm still on vacation, but this is sort of a vacation within a vacation. Here in Rome I have internet access, but I won't for a week starting tomorrow.) As always, thanks to my reviewers, and I hope that more people start reviewing! If you read it, you might as well take a moment to tell me what you think of it…

**Chapter 7: Welcome Surprises**

_Monday again,_ Ashley thought as she parked her car before school in the junior lot. Though today, she reflected, might be a better Monday than the previous one. She, along with Kate and basically the school's whole drama program, was waiting for Mrs. Grimm to post the cast list for the musical. Ashley had shared the conversation she'd overheard with Kate, and both of them were fairly certain that the list would be up today, tomorrow at the latest. Though they were both disappointed to know that Chrissy was almost certainly Christine, Kate was starting to feel more confident about her chances at getting Meg's part. Then again, Ashley hadn't been giving her any room to think otherwise.

For once Ashley was glad that she had a first period class. Though the weather was bitingly cold, and she pulled her raincoat tighter around her in anticipation of showers later in the day, the campus was nearly empty. She enjoyed the quiet as she walked through the quad to the drama room, where any cast lists would be posted. _Please, let them be posted!_ she wished, both for Kate's sake and her own. Normally, she would not have cared nearly so much for the musical, though she had always been interested…but this was _Phantom_! She only hoped that it would be done right, though all her knowledge of Mrs. Grimm so far pointed to this being one of the greatest shows she had ever taken part in.

She rounded the corner of the science building and saw the drama room door at last—and also saw the pieces of paper taped to it. The lists were up! Ash quickened her pace, wanting to find out who the lucky actors were.

She ran up to the door, scanning the lists first for the names of anyone she knew. She noticed Andrew, Chrissy, and even Damien listed as having gotten parts, but she forced herself to continue on down the list, looking for her friend's name before taking the time to see what parts others had received. Finally she saw it: _Meg Giry — Kate Ackerman._

"Yeah, Kate!" Ashley said, letting out a whoop of excitement for her friend. She should be here soon, and Ashley couldn't wait to see her face when she found she'd gotten the part.

"So your friend got the part she wanted?"

Ash whirled around to be faced with none other than Damien. Still in black pants, though she thought his sweatshirt was blue, and she counted that as an improvement. "Yeah, she said, wondering if it was luck or fate or something else entirely that kept them running into each other. Then, belatedly, she realized that he must be here to see the cast list, too, and that she was blocking his way. "Oh, sorry!" she said, backing up. "You've got a part, I didn't see which."

A smile crept across Damien's face as he looked at the posting, and Ash was glad that he was too intent on what he was reading to see how it affected her. When he smiled, she decided, he was the most handsome boy in the entire school. _It's a good thing he doesn't do that too often, though,_ she thought privately. _Otherwise he'd have every girl in the school fighting over him._

"A part you expected?" she asked, after a moment had passed and he had not yet spoken.

He blushed—_blushed!_—and shook his head. "Definitely didn't expect it," he said, "but it looks like I'm going to play the Phantom." Though his tone was modest, that gorgeous self-smile had returned.

"Congratulations!" Ashley said, not really surprised. "You'll do well," she added.

"Thanks," Damien said softly, still sounding a little self-conscious. _Well,_ Ash thought, _it's an improvement over silence. God, his speaking voice is even nice to listen to…_

"Ashley?" she heard someone yell. She and Damien both turned to see Kate hurtling toward them, her backpack bouncing back and forth. In unison, Ash and Damien stepped back from the door, allowing Kate to practically run straight into it before stopping. She quickly pored down the list, voicing her thoughts as she went. "Chrissy, as Christine!" she began. "Oh, God, they don't know what they're getting in to…but Andrew! Hah! Serves him right." She turned to Damien. "Good on you for beating him; he needed it," before turning back to the list. "Come on, Meg, Meg! There!" She pointed at the list, then her jaw dropped and she squealed and hugged Ashley, who was as usual surprised by the force of her friend's emotions.

Damien eyed Kate, looking slightly frightened. "Congrats to you, too," he said, though she was still squeezing the life out of Ashley.

Kate pulled back, as though suddenly aware that it was 6:35 on a Monday morning, and she wasn't supposed to be so exuberant. Ashley got her breath back and laughed at Kate. "I told you so," she said, incapable of escaping Kate's contagious giggles.

"I can't believe that Chrissy's got a lead," Kate said, "but at least Andrew's only Raoul. Though I don't think I want to see them stage kiss," she reflected, a look of disgust on her face. "They might get a little too serious." Andrew and Chrissy had been going out almost since the beginning of the year, and Chrissy's relationship with someone as "despicable" as Andrew was just one more thing that made her such a terrible person in Kate's books.

It was about at that moment that Ash realized, with an unexpected surge of jealousy, that Chrissy would also be required to kiss Damien.

Twice.

_But I don't like him, I just like his voice, and the way that he smiles,_ she reminded herself, _and how he's so insanely humble, and…_

"Hello, Ash?" Kate said. Ashley whipped around to find Damien gone, and Kate waving a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, lost in thought for a moment," Ashley said. Well, it was the truth—she didn't have to tell Kate what she had been thinking about.

"I was _saying_," Kate continued, "that this might turn out well after all. After Damien's auditions, I have no doubt that he can sing and act the Phantom's part. And as evil as he is, I suppose that sometimes Andrew knows how to act." She grimaced.

Ashley laughed. "You're forgetting to praise the pit orchestra in all its glory," she reminded her friend, "and the wonderful singer I hear they've got to play Meg."

Kate laughed. Then, in a more serious tone, "I reserve my final judgment of this musical for when it's actually been produced, but I think it's going to be more than anyone expects."

Ashley, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, could not agree any more.


	8. Partners

**Chapter 8: Partners**

Ashley sat at her desk in her English class, staring off deliberately into nothing, so that she would _not_ have to stare at the boy who sat across from her.

"So I guess we're partners for this project," said Andrew.

Ashley dared to look up, and caught a sympathetic look from Kate before making herself speak. "Looks like it," she said lamely.

A pause. "Any ideas?" Andrew asked.

"None whatsoever," Ashley replied. In fact, she had many ideas whirling through her head, but most had to do with the evil of her English teacher, Dr. Maguire, for randomly assigning partners for this project. Ideally, they were supposed to write a dialogue making use of double entendres, words and phrases that had different meanings than intended. The dialogue was, in effect, supposed to sound like it was about one thing but really be about something else.

The only problem with this was that all of the possible things that Ashley could think of had _some_ sort of sexual connotation, and here she was sitting across from the most sex-minded boy in the school.

Which is why Andrew surprised her out of her seat by asking, "What do you think about doing something political?"

"What?" Ashley said.

"Well, there's already so many symbols connected to it—think about it! We could use colors to represent parties, even the party symbols. And look at the current political candidates—their names are so easy to play around with." He paused. "Don't tell me you're conservative."

"Um…I'm not," Ashley said, stunned that Andrew was so passionate about the subject. She'd seen him wearing a few political pins or shirts around November, but this was the only class she had with him, and she didn't know him very well.

"Yes, another liberal!" he said, excited.

"Um…not really," Ashley responded. "I'm not really into politics…"

Andrew looked at her as though this was possibly the most shocking thing he'd heard all day. "You're kidding me!" he said. "You're what, seventeen, right?"

"Yeah."

"So when you register to vote next year, what party are you going to affiliate with?" Ashley did not respond. "You don't even know?"

Ashley shook her head. She had always thought she'd figure it out later. Her father wasn't very much into politics, and so she hadn't been exposed to much of it. "But right now we're supposed to be working on that project, remember?" she said, trying to keep them on track. Dr. Maguire was looking suspiciously in their direction.

"Okay, sorry," Andrew said. "It just took me a while to get over the shock!"

Ashley smiled, then wondered why she was smiling—it was _Andrew_, his usual overdramatic self. "So…we still need an idea," she said.

"Do you mind if we do the politics one?" Andrew asked.

"Not really," Ashley said, "but I won't be much help."

"Don't worry," Andrew said, then leaned in a bit and whispered, "you see, this is the perfect way for me to indoctrinate you with my superior Democratic beliefs before some Republican finds you and corrupts you."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Right."

"You'll understand someday," Andrew said. "Now, about this dialogue…"

They spent the rest of the class period laying out a framework for their project, though Andrew did most of the talking while Ashley sat and listened. The skies outside the classroom window were dark, and by the time the bell to end the class rang, it was raining.

"Don't worry if you didn't get very far today," Dr. Maguire said as students got their backpacks together and started filing out the door. "You'll have tomorrow in class to work on it also. Presentations of dialogues will be Wednesday, so I'm even giving you the weekend to work on it if you need to."

There was a scattered chorus of thank you's from the students. Ashley was relieved; she knew they'd need the time, though she was becoming more confident about the writing of the dialogue.

"If we don't get most of it done tomorrow, we can always get together over the weekend," Andrew said. "I'll see you tomorrow," and he walked out the door.

Ashley pulled her jacket more tightly around her and exited just as an announcement came on over the PA telling all students that the gym and auditorium would be open to students so that they wouldn't have to eat outside in the rain. Such a storm wasn't a common happening here, so Silver Hills didn't have an indoor cafeteria.

_Of course, I don't have an umbrella_, Ashley thought, _and both the gym and auditorium are on the opposite side of the campus._ Just her luck.

She made a mad dash from the English building over a slightly muddy patch of grass to the science building, managing not to get too wet. However, there was no cover between the science building and the gym, and the blacktop was too wet for her to run; she was afraid she'd slip, or at least kick up puddles and get her pants all wet. Resigning herself to just being wet for her last two classes, Ashley walked out from under the eaves and into the rain.

It took her a minute to notice she wasn't getting wet. In fact, no rain drops were hitting her at all…

She looked up and saw a black umbrella—looked back, and saw Damien holding it over her head and his.

"You're far too good at sneaking up on people, you know?" she said, smiling.

He grinned back. "I was wondering when you'd notice." He moved closer to her so that he could stay out of the rain as well, and Ashley suddenly felt very warm.

"So—so how are things?" she asked as they walked through the rain toward the gym.

"Good," he said. "What about you?"

"Good," she replied. It grew quiet, with no sounds except for those of rain falling and their shoes hitting the blacktop, carefully evading puddles. Ash tried to think of something to say, at first, but slowly realized the silence was companionable, not awkward. Walking next to him felt perfectly…normal, somehow. She could still feel in him the power of his song, but it was muted now, hidden by the mask of his shyness. He seemed like just another guy, albeit a guy who was considerate and more than just a little good-looking.

They arrived at the entrance of the gym too soon. "Thanks," Ashley said to Damien as he closed the umbrella and then walked inside. Then, feeling reckless, she asked, "Do you want to find somewhere to sit and eat?"

Damien smiled, a sincere half-grin. "Thanks, but I'm supposed to see my English teacher and take a test I missed," he said. "So I have to go. It was nice talking with you."

And he turned and left Ashley standing there, utterly startled and confused. He'd been right by the English building when he'd met her, and yet he had walked all the way here with her, only to backtrack now…

Ash scanned the room, looking for her friend. This was definitely something to think about.

* * *

**  
Author's Note:** I know, it's short. Please don't attack me! But I wanted to get this out, for a few reasons, not the least of which being that I was afraid some of you loyal reviewers _might_ attack me if I didn't. I would love to respond to all of your reviews personally, but I've never really liked the concept of review responses, since so many of them just become "Thank you!" And I can say that to all of you at once, though it is most completely heartfelt. 

However, there have been a few comments made in reviews that I feel I should address. Namely comments by **kitty minky** and **futureChristine**, who very astutely pointed out that it's practically impossible to put on _Phantom_ with a high school cast. I am completely aware of this, and have been since the moment I started writing this fic. That's actually one of the reasons I didn't post it sooner—I was worried people would hate it for being unrealistic. I was surprised no one said anything earlier! But, for the purposes of this fic, I am laboring under the self-induced delusion that if they want to put it on, then they can. I hope my readers will allow me this one fabrication.

That said, I'm afraid I have another thing to say, one that will probably cause a few people to dislike me. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've finally decided that I'm going to take a one-month self-imposed hiatus from fanfiction, starting after I post this. The reason for this, in short, is that fanfiction has become a distraction that I don't think I can afford. I am currently working on writing an original novel, but it seems that I always find some excuse to put off writing it. Many of my excuses come in the form of fanfiction. I have decided that I enjoy the "instant gratification" I get from posting a new chapter and seeing a bunch of review alerts in my inbox, and that it's caused me to forget the possible gratification that will come a long way into the future when I finish my novel. This is an experiment designed to remind me why I started writing in the first place. I will probably still write fanfiction during this hiatus of mine, but I will not post anything for a month at least—perhaps more. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but I've come to the decision that I have to put my original work first. I hope my loyal readers will understand, and I thank you sincerely for your patience. If there is anyone who would like to be alerted when I'm up and posting again, just leave your e-mail in a review and tell me you're interested.

Thank you for reading all of this! Cyber-cookies for anyone who actually read it through!

Reading Redhead

**Please, don't let my annoyingly long A/N keep you from reviewing this chapter! I promise I won't do it again if you review and tell me what you thought of the chapter, which was really the important part, anyway.**


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